Sneeking peeks at private patient information
Here's a question for Minnesota health providers: Have you ever snuck a peek at a neighbor's medical records, just out of a sense of curiosity? Or maybe took a look at the records of a famous person after he or she was a patient on your unit? If so, your days of employment might be numbered.
More than a dozen Kaiser Permanente employees have lost their jobs after taking a look at the medical records of Nadya Suleman, the woman who gave birth to octuplets earlier this year, according to CNN.com. Twenty-three employees were either fired (15) or disciplined (8), the article says.
So be forewarned. It's illegal, it's creepy and you'll probably get caught if you sneak a peek at, say, the records of your neighbor, your new daughter-in-law, former Pres. George H.W. Bush, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar or Sen. Patrick Kennedy.
And if you get caught, don't be surprised if you get plenty of time off to reflect.
By Jeff Hansel, member Association of Health Care Journalists
Health Reporter for the Post-Bulletin newspaper, 18 1st Ave. S.E. in Rochester, Minnesota 55904
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